Definition
Hiring manager — A hiring manager is the person a new hire will report to, and the one who ultimately decides whether a candidate gets an offer for that specific role. It's usually the same person who requested the job requisition in the first place, since they're the one who identified the need for the position and knows the day-to-day work it involves. Their responsibilities in a hiring process typically include writing or reviewing the job description, evaluating candidates in later-stage interviews for role-specific and technical fit, and making the final hire decision once a recruiter has narrowed the field. A hiring manager is not the same as a recruiter, even though both are deeply involved in filling a role. A recruiter typically owns the mechanics of the process across multiple open roles at once: sourcing, scheduling, coordinating interview panels, and moving candidates through the pipeline. A hiring manager is usually focused on one team's headcount and brings the deeper, role-specific judgment about whether a candidate can actually do the job.
Because a hiring manager's time is limited, most processes are built to protect it: a recruiter typically handles screening and logistics so a hiring manager only spends time on candidates who've already cleared an initial bar. A hiring manager pulled into every early-stage conversation tends to slow the whole pipeline down, which is part of why the recruiter-hiring manager split exists in the first place.
A hiring manager who's slow to give feedback after an interview is also a common source of lost candidates, since a strong applicant with other offers in motion won't wait indefinitely for a decision.
Frequently asked questions
Is a hiring manager the same as a recruiter?
No. A recruiter runs the hiring process itself, often across several open roles. A hiring manager owns one team's headcount and makes the final decision on whether to hire for that specific role.
Does a hiring manager interview every candidate?
Usually not every one. A recruiter typically screens candidates first, so the hiring manager's time goes to a narrower group who've already cleared an initial round.
Who writes the job description, the hiring manager or the recruiter?
Often both. The hiring manager usually covers the day-to-day responsibilities, since they know the work directly, while the recruiter shapes the wording and structure.
Related pages
Get ready for the decision-maker
A general AI interview on Intervieux is a solid way to practice the kind of role-specific questions a hiring manager is likely to ask later in a process.